The Last Trick or Treater
by 2old4fanfic
Summary: Bella's first day in her new house falls on Halloween. Who will be her last Trick or Treater? Holiday One SHot


The Last Trick or Treater

Plucking a Snickers bar from the plastic caldron, Bella did a quick survey. Maybe fifteen candies were left of the one hundred she'd dumped in. As she chewed she remembered growing up that Forks had a 9:00 curfew on Halloween. Of course, this development of tidy colonials and capes hadn't been built when she'd left for college. Lots of things had changed since then. However, if the curfew still existed all these years later her candy should be enough for the last eleven minutes of Trick or Treating. She considered turning off the porch light when her bell rang. She grabbed the caldron, expecting a raggedy band of teenagers looking for people willing to dump their excess sugar, but was surprised by a waist tall Luke Skywalker, holding a light saber in one hand and an empty R2D2 bucket in the other.

Every other child who'd come to her new house was part of a group. Maybe he'd been at the back of some gang of kids and she hadn't noticed him? And where were his parents? She looked across her lawn; no waiting adult. Kneeling down to his level she asked, "Master Luke, are you trick or treating by yourself?"

"I couldn't go a for, I wa' sick." He sucked in a snoot full of snot. Great, a sick, small, lone child at her door. Her father had met the moving truck and watched them unload earlier this week. Halloween was her first full day at her new home; she'd barely had time to buy candy, forget meet the neighbors. Where could this kid be from?

"Okay, hold on, let me get you a tissue."

"Can I has candy pease?" His little pout looked adorable. She couldn't imagine a parent denying this kid anything. His reddish, uncombed hair reminded her of someone.

"Tissue first." She opened the little tissue packet she kept in her bag, pulled one out and put it over his nose. "Now blow."

A honk worthy of a goose came out of the little Jedi. He still wiped his nose with the back of his costume sleeve. Lovely. Bella looked up and down her street for a car, a person, someone responsible for this kid. Nothing.

"I f'gots to say twick oh tweet. Now candy?"

She was afraid if she put something into his bucket he'd run off. "Where're your parents Master Luke?"

"Mom's in bed sweeping."

Could he have escaped while his mother took a nap? Or was she sleeping off a bender? She shook her head. Mustn't assume the worst of people she hadn't met yet, but someone who loses track of their kid so easily—she was going to have words when they finally showed up. She checked her phone, 8:53. She was going to have to call her father in a few minutes, and young Mister Skywalker was going to get a ride in a police car.

"So, what's your real name?"

"Lu Sywaller."

All she learned was this Jedi had a problem with the 'k' sound.

"What does your mommy call you?"

"Sweepea."

The kid was cute, but this wasn't getting her anywhere.

"What does she call you when you're in trouble?"

"James Edward Cullen."

She felt her head sway. Only she would move to make a fresh start and wind up living on the same street as her old high school crush and his adorable little boy. He'd probably married some stunning woman with alcoholic tendencies. She hadn't even slept a night in her new home and she was going to have to put it on the market. At least she hadn't unpacked.

"JAMIE! JAMIE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

She recognized that low timbered voice. She could probably recite everything he'd ever said to her. "Are you using this seat? Do you have a copy of 1984 in the back? I'm returning this a few days late, is that okay?" Yes, she'd forgiven his overdue books when she worked as an aide at the library, and where had it gotten her? He never spoke to her outside school.

Still, there was a child at stake. This wasn't about her lonely high school years and feeling invisible. She yelled, "Over here!"

Bursting through the hedge that separated her (now for sale) lot from her neighbor, was the better looking than ever, Edward Cullen. His hair was a wet wreck, he was barefoot, wearing only a t-shirt, partially buttoned pants and no shoes.

Fantastic, now she had empirical evidence of what had occupied the kid's mother so thoroughly that she couldn't get her lazy but satisfied ass out of bed to take her child trick or treating. And now she knew Edward wore black boxers. Great. This would be a short sale, she needed to get out of this tawdry neighborhood ASAP.

"James!" Edward stood, bent towards the little boy. "Buddy, you were supposed to wait for me to finish my shower and put clothes on before you went trick or treating."

Nice, Edward had his treat (or was that a trick?) before taking care of his kid. Just as well that they'd never talked in high school. She'd never want to be with a man who was such a lousy dad.

"I'm so sorry Miss. His mother's on bedrest, due next month. He was supposed to wait for me, isn't that what you promised Jamie?"

So, bad Dadward had another on the way. One more knife in her back. Here she was, alone, and here he was, spawning adorable little children he couldn't mind.

"Jamie, what do you say for running off?"

"Sowwy." An 'R' issue as well. So Edward's perfect family wasn't completely perfect. She took a tiny bit of solace in that. That and the fact that the box containing her liquor was in the dining room.

"Now say sorry to Miss…" Edward looked up from Jamie and stared at her. "Bella Swan, is that you?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"I'm sorry, I can't believe this! He was sick in the morning, a little cold so we didn't think he'd be up to trick or treating. I just got back from my shift at the hospital and I told him we could go for a few minutes. Sorry he escaped."

Of course he'd become a doctor, and was now coming home to his pregnant wife. She looked into the cauldron. She was going to need at least a dozen of the chocolate bars to go with the tequila.

"Say sorry to Miss Swan Jamie." Edward held the little boy's hand.

"But she no gives me candy!"

"Sorry!" Bella grabbed three bars and dropped them in the R2D2 bucket. "There you go Jamie."

"What do you say buddy?"

"Sank you."

"Your Daddy taught you good manners." She had to give him that, the kid might be an escape artist but he was adorable.

"Daddy's inafanafan."

Bella was used to teaching teenagers; she couldn't decipher toddlerspeak.

Edward ran his hand through his hair. "My brother is in Afghanistan. You remember Emmett? We're hoping he makes it back before Rose drops number two and three."

"Two and three?"

"She's having twins, hence the bedrest. I help with this guy when my mom's not here." Edward picked up Jamie and lifted him onto his shoulder.

Uncle Edward sounded so much better than Daddy Edward. But just because he wasn't Jamie's daddy, didn't mean he wasn't someone else's daddy. Or someone else's someone.

New start, Bella, new start. Leaving meek Bella behind in Forks had been one of her college goals. She would not revert just because she came back to her hometown.

"Doesn't your girlfriend mind you spending so much time with your nephew?"

He smiled. "No girlfriend to mind. Or wife, or anyone to worry about how I spend my time."

"Really…" She looked at him as he shifted from foot to foot. It had gotten cold since night fell, he must be freezing. "Do you want to come in and warm up?"

"No, I've got to get this guy back to bed." He flipped Jamie so he was hanging over his shoulder and he took off, Jamie waving his light saber at her.

~TLTOT~

She'd opened the tequila but couldn't find her glasses. At least she'd unpacked the coffee mugs. She took a swig. Edward Cullen, still looking as delicious as ever, still as uninterested in little old her as ever. She was pouring a hefty refill when her doorbell rang. She'd downed four Snickers and she wasn't giving up the rest. Tough luck. She silently toasted the trick or treaters. The bell rang again. Another toast. Another ring.

That was enough. She had half a mind to call her father before she turned into the mean old lady who chased kids off her lawn. She was practically there, drinking booze from a mug. She got to the door ready to yell, but when she opened it a sneaker shod Edward, his hair combed and pants buttoned, stood with a strange look on his face.

"I didn't' think you'd go to sleep so quickly."

Bella held up her mug. "Just toasting my first night in my new house."

"Rose took Jamie into bed with her, and sent me right back."

"Sent you right back?" She looked past him at the empty porch. "Did Jamie forget something?"

"No, Rose was tired of hearing me whine about the girl who got away. The girl I was too shy to ever talk to in high school." He was looking at her. Could he mean her?

Maybe it was the alcohol, but she started laughing hard and long until her eyes were tearing. "Are you playing a trick on me Edward Cullen? You were never shy in high school."

"Around you I was. Do you really think I forgot when all those books were due? It was the only way I could talk to you."

"You're kidding." She stared at him, waiting for him to deliver the punch line, but he said nothing. "You're serious?"

"I just want to…" He slipped his hand to the back of her head and guided her until their lips met. His lips were plush yet firm, everything she'd ever imagined they'd be, and she had imagined this moment frequently, whenever he'd returned yet another overdue book. Of course, she didn't think it would take a decade to finally happen.

Their lips slowly parted as he moved his head back an inch. "Can I come in? Or are you busy?"

"Close the door behind you." She took his hand, leading him into the house. "Pretty sure you're my last trick or treater."

.

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A/N: This is what happens when I eat too many Snickers Bars. Happy Halloween


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